Weekend events to celebrate the Erie Canal

Events for the eighth annual Canal Splash! Weekend will be going on across the state, including cruises and tours throughout Herkimer and Montgomery counties.

Canal Splash! is a coordinated series of locally organized events that take place along canal routes.

By Stephanie Sorrell-White

The Times

By Stephanie Sorrell-White

Posted Aug. 7, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 7, 2013 at 7:00 AM

By Stephanie Sorrell-White

Posted Aug. 7, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 7, 2013 at 7:00 AM

Herkimer, N.Y.

Events for the eighth annual Canal Splash! Weekend will be going on across the state, including cruises and tours throughout Herkimer and Montgomery counties.

Canal Splash! is a coordinated series of locally organized events that take place along canal routes.

In Herkimer, the Gems Along the Mohawk complex, 800 Mohawk St., will host cruises at 1 and 3 p.m. on Aug. 9, 10 and 11. Jacqueline White, business manager, said Monday reservations would guarantee a seat on the cruises on the Erie Canal for this weekend. She also said there will be a basket giveaway and samplings of salsas, dips and sauces.

Also happening locally will be the Little Falls Canal Celebration. The celebration started Monday and will continue through Sunday, with varying times for different events. The event celebrates the city’s canal heritage and includes food, entertainment, races, beauty pageants, arts and crafts, art shows, historical tours, fishing derbies and a parade.

Chicks Along the Canal, which is part of the Little Falls Canal Celebration, will happen at Sterziner Park in Canal Place on Aug. 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Aug. 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event will feature creative women entrepreneurs in a glorified flea market setting with live music, food and more.

In Montgomery County, there will be a walking tour of the African American Life and the Abolitionist Movement in Canajoharie. The tour will start at 11 a.m. on Aug. 10 at the corner of state Route 10 and Mohawk Street, with Montgomery County historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar leading the walk throughout the village. The tour will highlight the various sites associated with the African Americans who lived in Canajoharie during the 19th century and abolitionist activity.

There will also be “The Mohawk Valley: A River Through Time” at historic sites in Fort Plain, Nelliston, Canajoharie, Palatine Bridge, St. Johnsville and other locations on Aug. 10. Most of the events are free or have a small fee.

Canal Splash! is the state Canal Corporation’s statewide signature event, presented in partnership with the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor and Parks and Trails New York. For more information, go to www.canals.ny.gov/specialevents.